SPEARFISH, S.D. — The Spearfish Spartans made sure Homecoming night ended in celebration, using a stingy defense and a balanced offensive attack to knock off the Aberdeen Eagles, 21-6, on Friday evening at Spartan Field.
After a promising opening drive that stalled with a punt, the Spartans defense quickly seized momentum. Junior defensive back Graham Hughes picked off a pass and returned it 22 yards, setting Spearfish up inside the Eagles’ five-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Thomas Hughes connected with senior receiver Jack Couatte on a four-yard touchdown strike to open the scoring.
The defense came up strong again on Aberdeen’s next possession, forcing a punt. The Spartans’ offense then engineered a 12-play, 73-yard march that featured one of the game’s biggest highlights — a 37-yard scramble by Graham Hughes on 3rd-and-15. Senior Karsen Seyer finished off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-3, putting Spearfish up 14-0 midway through the second quarter. Seyer also added an interception later in the half to preserve the two-score lead going into the break.
Aberdeen found life to start the second half, driving 80 yards in 10 plays capped by a 14-yard touchdown run from Porter Lozenski, cutting the deficit to 14-6.
But Spearfish responded immediately with another long scoring drive of its own. Powered by physical runs from senior Mick Bosh and junior Hughes, the Spartans marched 71 yards before Thomas Hughes hit Kade Vavruska for a 16-yard touchdown pass to restore a two-score advantage at 21-6.
From there, the Spartans’ defense shut the door. Big pass breakups from Seyer and the secondary, along with consistent tackling from Brock Lewis and Lucas, denied Aberdeen any chance at a comeback. Bosh helped seal the win late, churning out chunk runs of 15 and 20 yards to drain the clock and secure the victory.
Stat Leaders
-
Thomas Hughes: 12/19, 108 yds, 2 TD; 9 carries, 88 yds
-
Mick Bosh: 28 carries, 128 yds
-
Jack Couatte: 4 rec., 32 yds, 1 TD; 2 tackles
-
Kade Vavruska: 3 rec., 35 yds, 1 TD; 5 tackles
-
Karsen Seyer: 1 rec., 11 yds; 1 rush, 4-yd TD; 1 INT
-
Graham Hughes: 2 tackles, 1 INT, 22 yard return
-
Brock Lewis: 7 total tackles
-
Laythan Lucas: 4 rec., 37 yds; 6 tackles